Growing up in Uruguay, I always used to look forward to Borsht Soup. Whether hot or cold, it was always a treat! I never got my mother’s recipe, but I made this one last night and it brought back some sweet memories of my childhood. With Shavous almost here, I thought I’d try a dairy version (parve, also given)

Beet Borsht

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 lb 8 oz small tender beets

1 large chopped onion

15 cups of water *

1 teaspoon salt

pepper

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons brown sugar

chopped fresh dill to garnish

sour cream (optional, do not use if you prefer a parve soup)

Directions

Cut tops from beets leaving a bit of the stems attached, wash thoroughly to remove any sand or grit. Peel the betts and grate them. Transfer to a heavy pan. You might want to wear rubber gloves to prevent your hands being stained.

Add the onion to the pan and cover with the water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Take off from heat and allow the vegetables to cool slightly.

Ladle the liquid into a food processor and process until smooth. Rinse off the pan and put the soup back in it.

Bring to a boil over medium heat and add salt, pepper (to taste), lemon juice and sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes and taste, it should have a sweet and sour taste. If necessary add a little more sugar or lemon juice, if it’s a bit thick, thin out by adding a little bit more water.

Serve hot with a swirl of sour cream. Sprinkle with dill. You may also serve it cold if you refrigerate it covered, but you thin out the soup as it will thicken when chilled.

(Sometimes you may find a similar recipe using vegetable stock instead of water, I’ll have to do that next time.)

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy. I did! I tied hot, I can’t wait to try it cold.